The River
by bughunters
Summary: Jacen goes on a jog through the jungle and has a chat with Tenel Ka (This is an edited version of what I posted earlier)


The River  
  
(This is set after the ending of Trouble on Cloud City)  
  
He had only been back at the Academy for a day, and already Jacen was a little restless, and so he'd decided to go for a quick jog and swim an hour after dinner, and had just entered the jungle. 'I guess I'll go get some more food for my animals,' he thought as he jogged towards a more secluded portion of the jungle near the river so that he could gather some leaves as for a species of beetle he kept, but stopped when he reached it. What he saw almost made him turn right around, as Tenel Ka was lying up against a large rock in her bathing suit, obviously in deep thought about something. Jacen felt it would be wrong to disturb her, and so he turned around to hurry away, but before he could run she spoke.  
  
"There's no need to leave Jacen."  
  
"Oh crap," he muttered under his breath as he turned back towards her and walked out to the river's edge. "I was just out for a jog and swim and I stumbled upon you," Jacen said.  
  
"Jacen, are you afraid that I'm mad at you for some reason?" She asked him hesitantly.  
  
"I saw that you were deep in thought about something, and I was afraid you would be upset if I disturbed you. How'd you know?" He asked her, to which she simply tapped the side of her head. Jacen slapped his hand against his face in mock embarrassment, but when he slid it down his face she was still looking right at him. "You don't have to run off just yet." She told him. "Umm, okay," he responded, and stepped behind a tree and removed his shirt and pants, as he was wearing his swim suit underneath. He walked back out, and the two walked into the river at the same time. They stood near each other in silence for a moment before Jacen suddenly dove under the water and grabbed Tenel Ka's right leg and flipped her backwards into the water. He shot up immediately, laughing manically as he did.  
  
He stopped when Tenel Ka came up to the surface, looking quite mad. Then, she gave him a wry smile and shoved him backwards into the water hard. Jacen came back, and a water fight ensued between the two for the next ten minutes. It ended with Tenel Ka pinning one of Jacen's arms down against the riverbank while he was smashing a ball of mud into her face with the other.  
  
"Truce?" He asked her as she bent his arm back across his neck.  
  
"Truce," she agreed, and the two let go. They backed away from each other and Tenel Ka wiped the mud off of her face.  
  
"That was fun though," Jacen said as the two sat up against the rock. 'What the hell's wrong with you ya pervert, STOP STARRING!' His mind shouted to him a moment later as he realized he'd been starring at her legs. He looked away, and then looked back at her. He wasn't sure she noticed him, or if she did whether she cared or not, but there was a moment of silence between them.  
  
"Wow, what the hell are we going to talk about now?" Jacen asked as he wiped some water out of his eyes. The two sat in silence for another minute, Jacen getting an idea of what Tenel Ka wanted to ask him from his readings of her, through the force and not.  
  
"Whether or not you feel this is appropriate, I just want to say that I would like to know. How exactly did you feel after. falling from Cloud City?" Tenel Ka asked, hesitantly drawing out the last part.  
  
"Imagine those dreams you have where you're falling but all you have to do is just say 'wake up' and you wake up. Now imagine that it was actually happening, that no matter how hard you wished, hoped or begged you knew you were going to die," Jacen said, laying his head down into his arms which he was supporting on his knees. As hard as he tried, he felt hot liquid seep through his eyelids and he turned away from Tenel Ka so she wouldn't see him cry. Then, he heard her shift around, and she gently wrapped her arm around his waist.  
  
Slowly, he turned around and put his arms around her in return. The two simply held each other in silence. Then, they slowly raised their heads and gazed into each other's eyes, and Jacen the piece inside of him that had said he should never try to pursue anything with Tenel Ka because she was his best friend give way. He began to move his head in slowly, and a moment later their lips pressed together.  
  
As soon as they made contact Jacen felt an avalanche of emotion run through him and he reached up and cupped Tenel Ka's face in his hands, and she wrapped her arm around his neck. The passion the two put into the kiss was unbelievable, and uncontrollably Jacen's hands drifted down from her face towards her back, and they closed around the cloth knot Tenel Ka's bikini strings formed. He was about to undo them when he realized what he was doing and forced himself away. "I'm sorry," he said, ready to turn and just try to get away.  
  
"Don't be Jacen. When I saw you loose grip on my boot and fall away into the clouds a piece of my soul was torn away. And when I saw you walk out of that door into the hanger bay, I felt like I was whole again. Even a week ago I could not say this but now I am ready: I love you more then I could possibly explain with just mere words," Tenel Ka said as she took one of his hands in hers.  
  
"I've been waiting so long to here you say that. When I saw you walk off the shuttle the day you arrived at the academy I felt a strange feeling I couldn't explain, but I thought it was just something that said we would be very good friends. Eventually I just thought it was some childish crush, but I didn't realize it was love, real, life affirming, transcendent love until we were stuck together on the frozen side of the Twi'lek home world; it was as I watched you standing in the snow that I realized how much I really cared for you. I've been a cowered for not telling you how I felt before now, and I am sorry, and I want to say in whatever way that I can that I love you," Jacen said.  
  
The two immediately pulled themselves together, and began to kiss again. 'Are you sure you want to do this?' Jacen asked her telepathically as they inched their way around to the other side of the rock.  
  
'With all of my mind, body, heart and soul.' Tenel Ka replied. Jacen kissed her once more and within minutes they were in an emotional and spiritual rapture that not even they could describe.  
  
....................................  
  
An hour and a half later a warm rain drop fell on Jacen's eyelids, and as they opened he suddenly remembered every glorious moment of what had happened. He gently nudged Tenel Ka awake, and soon she her eyes were open. "We should probably head back before the main storm hits, the weather report did say it would be quite large," Tenel Ka said.  
  
"Yeah, you're probably right." Jacen said. "I want you to know that this was something I never experiences before." He said as they pulled their bathing suits back on.  
  
"Neither had I," Tenel Ka replied, and then, Tenel Ka leaned forward and kissed him once more before they crossed the river where Jacen's academy jumpsuit and Tenel Ka's armor was. They quickly ran back through the jungle, making it back in record time. When they got back to the temple they walked inside and Jacen walked with Tenel ka to her room.  
  
"Goodnight my love," Jacen said, wrapping his arms around her waist and leaning her against the wall and kissing her firmly on the lips. She put her arm around her waist, and they stood there for about a minute before they pulled away, Tenel Ka turning and walking inside. After the doors swished shut Jacen turned to head back to his own quarters, and began to whistle happily as he did, thinking about how things had changed. He knew now that his life would never be the same, but he also knew he'd never been happier, and never would be, about anything else ever again.  
  
.................................... After the door swished shut Tenel Ka walked over to her closet and changed into what she usually wore to bed. After she did she looked over at her desk and saw a hand carved ivory statue of a female angel Jacen had made for her at a small make your own crafts store just before leaving Cloud City. She remembered how she'd silently commented on the fierceness in its eyes in its eyes and the beauty of its form just after he handed it to her, but she had soon realized the face was her own, something that touched her in a way that she had not, at the time, understood. She'd always prided herself on her self reliance and individuality, but now that she knew she would never have to face another day alone she knew that whatever she might go up against, she would always have someone who fight by her side.  
  
....................................  
  
The next day Zekk sat at a table in the cafeteria eating his breakfast, and saw Jacen and Tenel Ka walk in together as he speared a tart piece of fruit on his fork. "Hello children," he said as he put it into his mouth and chewed, wiping away some of the juice that had dripped off the piece of fruit onto his goatee with a napkin.  
  
"Hey Zekk," Jacen replied absentmindedly as he poured himself some coffee from a nearby pot.  
  
"Hello Zekk. Are you well this morning?" Tenel Ka asked as she poured herself some water from a nearby jug.  
  
"I'm fine, thank you. Listen, is there something on either of your minds?" He asked them.  
  
"Not me," Jacen replied while shaking his head.  
  
"Nor I," Tenel Ka said, taking a sip of water a moment later.  
  
"I know you're both lying, but I'm just too damn lazy to prove it," Zekk said as he sipped his coffee, making a face as he spat it out having burned his tongue slightly. He didn't notice Jacen give Tenel Ka a secretive grin, nor did he notice her return it a moment later.  
  
....................................  
  
Five Years later  
  
The Rock Dragon gently set down among a small clearing several hundred kilometers from the temple, and a minute or so later Jacen and Tenel Ka walked out. "Well Tenee, how does it feel to be married to a tremendous screw up like me?" Jacen asked his new wife as the two looked at the jungle.  
  
"Pretty good Jace, pretty good. By the way, would you please not call me that," she asked him, the two turned and looked at each other for a moment before they began to kiss with a deep love. "Only if you stop calling me Jace, Tenee." He replied with that famous Solo grin that was his family's trademark. "Fine Jace." She replied, and a moment later the two kissed again. The wind began to blow, gently lifting Tenel Ka's wedding dress off of the ground slightly and blowing her hair back, but this only added to the perfection of the moment. As the two kissed they felt their souls sing out in joy at having finally united with each other and felt the Force flow through each other as they shared the greatest love any two people could feel with each other. 


End file.
